Q A-Sample Task 4.pdf

Q1. Section L-3.1.6 calls for a Contract Transition Plan as part of Volume I. Statement of Objectives for Sample Task 004, paragraph 3.2 states “the Offeror shall present a detailed program plan, with the schedule depicting all tasks and major milestone expectations, risks, etc. associated with the transition effort.” Please clarify if these Section L-3.1.6 and SOO 3.2 requirements are to be addressed as part of Sample Task 4, or are to be addressed and delivered in a separately delivered plan. If a separate plan, please clarify when this plan is to be submitted.

A1. The plan will be the presentation slides. No written plans are required outside of the slides.

Q2. Section L-2.2 Format states that L-2.2.1 – L-2.2.7 should be followed. Specifically, L-2.2.6 specifies a Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms be provided for each proposal deliverable. Is a Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms required as part of the Oral Presentation?

A2. Abbreviations and acronyms not previously listed in the Offeror's proposal must be identified in the sample task submission.

Q3. Section L-2 (3) table specifies Sample Task 4 – Contract Transition -- ** Oral Proposal consists of two sub-bullets: Briefing Slides and Letters of commitment or intent. Are the Letters of commitment or intent to be included as part of the oral presentation, or to be included as a separate file on the CD deliverable?

A3. The letters of commitment or intent are to be submitted on the CD.

Q4. Section L-3.1.6 indicates the payment provision is Firm Fixed Price. The Final RFP Section B through Amendment 0003 describes CLIN 0001 as cost-reimbursable. Please clarify if the Government is planning to update Section B to depict this CLIN as Firm Fixed Price?

A4. The CLIN by amendment is now Firm Fixed Price.

Q5. Amendment 0004 Ground Rules for Oral Presentation indicates that the second set of oral presentations will be conducted in the December/January timeframe. Section F of the Final RFP through Amendment 0003 indicates the base year with transition begins 01 January 2009. Please clarify the anticipated dates for contract award; authority to proceed (ATP); transition; and contract start.

A5. The anticipated dates for contract award, authority to proceed, transition, and contract start have slipped based on the amount of effort required for the process. They will not occur in January 2009. The Government estimate is 1 March 2009.

Q6. L.3.1.6, Section M Area III Cost/Price, Section B CLIN 0001, Question/ Answer 9 Dated 16 August L.3.1.6 states that Sample Task 4 is Firm Fixed Price. Section B Transition CLIN (0001) is a Cost Type CLIN as updated in Amendment (1).

A6. The CLIN by amendment is now Firm Fixed Price.

Q7. Question/Answer 9 on 16 August states “The transition cost is part of the CLIN 0001 and part of the oral presentation process.“ Are Sample Task 4 and CLIN 0001 to be the same contract type? If not, how are the FFP transition costs to be handled in CLIN 0001?

A7. The CLIN by amendment is now Firm Fixed Price.

Q8. Section B CLIN 0001 Section B CLIN 0001 is identified as the “Transition” CLIN. Should Offerors submit a revised Section B reflecting the price in Sample Task 4 in CLIN 0001?

A8. Yes and CLIN 0001 is Firm Fixed Price.

Q9. Section M Area III Cost/Price RFP states “The Offeror is cautioned that the pricing must be in line with the proposals submitted against the basic solicitation.” We assume the Government wants bidders to use the same rates and factors submitted in the original cost volume. Is this correct?

A9. Your assumption is correct.

Q10. L.3.1.6 – Contract Transition Plan L.3.1.6 states that the Offeror is to propose a FFP provision for the task order and “risks associated.” Associated Risks are normally included in the FFP. What does the Government mean by “risks associated?”

A10. The Government expects the Offeror to address the risks associated with the transition from the old contract to the new contract. We do not expect you to address cost risks which are included in FFP.

Q11. L.3.1.6 – Contract Transition Plan Next to last Sentence -- “Further, H.10 Novation should be addressed appropriately in the transition plan.” Does the Government intend in Sample Task 4, paragraph L-3.1.6, for the contract to submit a written Transition Plan in addition to the oral presentation?

A11. The plan will be the presentation slides. No written plans are required outside of the slides.

Q12. Ground Rules for Oral Presentation – Scheduling and Location “The Government intent is to do half of the oral proposals the week of 17 November 2008 and the other half will be completed in the December/January timeframe.” Given that briefings will be in the December/January timeframe, when does the government expect the EN/discussion phase to begin and what is the new projected contract award date?

A12. The Government does not have firm dates for EN/discussions. It is estimated that contract award will be on or about 1 March 2009.

Q13. Ground Rules for Oral Presentation – Presentation Charts “The slides shall be configured, both in the amount of data, color scheme, and font size, as to be easily read-1) Please provide the dimensions and layout of the briefing room. able from a distance of 30 feet.” 2) How big will the projector screen be? 3) How far from the screen can the projector be located, and will this be a front or rear projection? 4) Will there be a podium? 5) Will stationary or wireless microphones be available?

A13. The room will be preconfigured for the briefings to occur.

Q14. Ground Rules for Oral Presentation – Miscellaneous “The Government will provide facilities and equipment for the briefing; however, the contractor shall provide the operator.” Is the laptop-projector operator included in the allowable six briefers, or can the contractor have six briefers plus the laptop-projector operator?

A14. The operator is included in the six personnel.

Q15. L-3.1.6 The second sentence asks for a firm fixed price payment provision. The RFP (including previous amendments) indicated this would be a Cost Reimbursement CLIN (Section B unchanged). It is not clear if it is a Firm Fixed Price or a Cost Reimbursement CLIN. What contract type is the Transition CLIN 001? This is a Cost Reimbursement CLIN with cost/schedule milestones.

A15. The CLIN by amendment is now Firm Fixed Price.

Q16. Ground Rules for Oral Presentation- This section puts forth the requirement of no more than six-personnel, inclusive of speakers, yet near the end of this section the contractor is requested to provide the operator (computer and projector) for the oral presentation charts. Is the operator considered within the six-personnel or is the operator the seventh-personnel and not allowed to be a speaker? A seventh non-speaker will be allowed to run the computer/projector.

A16. The operator is included in the six personnel.

Q17. SOO Section 2.2.1 Constraints - The completion of all inventories is the responsibility of the successor contractor. What are the currency and accuracy of the incumbent’s inventory records that will be made available to the successor contractor when transition begins? The Government will provide to the successful contractor a 100% verified/audited Government property list (GFP, GFM, GFI, GFE).

A17. Currently, the contractor provides a cyclical inventory report each quarter to the SOFSA staff, depicting inventory results for the previous quarter. For purposes of the Transition Sample Task, the Offeror shall assume that the December 08 inventory assessment report (with an assumed 1 March 09 contract transition start date, per Answer 18, below) will be provided to the Offeror. The Offeror shall not assume that the Government will provide the successor contractor with a 100% verified/audited Government property list. Based on the information presented above, the Offeror is tasked with addressing the requirement spelled out in Sample Task paragraph 3.2.3.

Q18. Section L-3.3.2.3 Transition Costs - The Ground Rules for Oral Presentation indicates the orals will complete in the December/January time frame. SOO Section 3.2.1 requires listing information requirements needed in the (1) pre-transition phase (immediately after contract award announcement) and the (2) transition phase. Are the target dates (30 December 2008 announcement, contract transition start 1 January 2009) to be used for Sample Task#4, Contract Transition?

A18. Use 1 March 2009 for four months.

Q19. Will clarification requests be held until the end of each of the one-hour presentations? Since there is no planned question and answer period, will time spent for clarifications be added to or subtracted from the two one-hour presentation intervals?

A19. We expect the oral proposals to be so perfect that clarifications will not be required. However, if they are we will do them at the end of the briefing and it will be added time.

Q20. Meeting the requirement for the orals presentation material “to be readable from a distance of 30 feet” is subjective and will be difficult without understanding the physical layout of the presentation room.

What are the dimensions of the presentation room and its layout? A detailed diagram of the room and all of its contents is requested. What projecting equipment (type/model) will be provided by the Government?

What are the projection screen size and its distance from the projector?

A.20. The room will be set prior to your arrival. Remember, 2003 version of PowerPoint. We will use the CD you are submitting.

Q21. The 6 November cutoff date to submit questions on the Sample Task 4 amendment is very late relative to our projected activities to prepare and submit by 10 November. We anticipate final reviews and production to begin on 7 November to be ready to ship on 9 November. Any answers received after 6 November could substantially impact each offeror’s ability to respond to the 10 Nov submission date with a Sample Task proposal factoring in the Government’s responses to questions. If the cutoff date remains the same, will the Government respond to any questions received incrementally prior to 6 November as quickly as possible and not wait to produce a single response package some time after 6 November?

A21. The questions have been submitted and no further questions are expected.

Q22. The locations of contract performance are provided as Blue Grass Station, KY; Blue Grass Army Depot, KY; Ft. Walton Beach, FL; Ft. Bragg, NC, Lexington, KY. The solicitation also mentions OCONUS. Provide number of incumbent employees CONUS and OCONUS other than Blue Grass Station, KY; Blue Grass Army Depot, KY; Ft. Walton Beach, FL; Ft. Bragg, NC

A22. OCONUS 164 CONUS 218

Q23. Does the Government intend to define start and ending dates, or an interval in calendar days, for the newly defined pre-transition phase, in advance of the 10 November submittal of Sample Task 4; or will the Government accept assumed dates from all offerors?

A23. 1 March 2009 for four months

Q24. The DD-254 states the period of performance for the contract is 01 Jan 2009 to 30 Sep 2018. Are these dates still accurate for planning purposes? Is the Government including the newly defined pre-transition period in this interval?

A24. The transition period 1 March 2009 for four months in duration. The DD Form 254 will be updated with the proper dates when an award is announced.

Q25. H.10 NOVATION states, in part: "The incumbent on contract USZA22-03-D-006 and 03-C-0056 has agreed that in the event they are not the successful Offeror against this solicitation they will novate any open contracts and all active task orders unable to be completed prior to transition period completion."

A25. ADVANCED AGREEMENT

L-3 Communications, Integrated Systems, L.P., operating through its Joint Operations Group (L-3 JOG) business unit, and the Special Operations Forces Support Activity (SOFSA) (hereinafter, the “Parties”) desire an advance agreement that ensures uninterrupted support of SOFSA customers in the event L-3 JOG is not the successful bidder on the follow-on Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) services contract.

This agreement is applicable to all active CLS service contracts; USZA22-97-C-0013, USZA22-03-C- 0056, and USZA22-03-D-0006. Upon notification by the U.S. government of loss of the follow-on CLS service contract, L-3 JOG agrees to:

_ Release execution rights to all carryover TO’s (those whose period of performance extends beyond current contract) to the successor contractor, NLT the government’s transition period, and;

_ Support a bi-lateral modification to each active SOFSA contract (C-0013, C-0056, and D- 0006) changing the name of the prime contractor (blk 7 of SF26) to the successor contractor, allowing these contracts to continue with the existing task orders and avoiding any termination actions, and;

_ Transfer to the successor, at no cost, the entire portion of assets involved in performing the CLS service contracts with the exception of key L-3 Leadership and Supervisory personnel it intends to retain within the L-3 Company and any L-3 Proprietary Information.

L-3 JOG retains all rights to award fee earned on all task orders for work completed within the current contract’s period of performance. Because the award fee determining official will not make the award fee decision for the final period of the contract until after the current period of performance ends, L-3 JOG shall be authorized to capture and segregate costs against the contract for award fee board presentation by L-3 JOG, award fee metrics preparation, contract modification execution, and final contribution to, and payout of, the L-3 employee award fee sharing plan; and final invoicing for costs and fee. We will utilize rates in place as of the end of the current contract’s period of performance and apply a fixed fee of XX% to the costs incurred after the current period of performance. A fixed fee avoids any award fee accumulation into the next award fee period that would be payable to L-3, and avoids the evaluation of two different contractors (L-3 and the successor contractor) by the Award Fee Evaluation Board.

Successful execution of the items above is dependent upon agreement by the successor contractor;

therefore, the Government agrees to include the following (or similar) provisions in the solicitation being prepared for the followon CLS service contract:

a. The successful contractor agrees to assume all execution responsibility from the incumbent contractor for any carryover task orders.

b. The successor contractor assumes all the incumbent’s obligations and benefits under all CLS service contracts.

c. The incumbent contractor agrees to release all rights to execution of carryover task orders.

d. The incumbent contractor agrees to transfer, at no cost, all assets involved in performing the CLS service contract with the exception of key L-3 leadership and supervisory personnel it will retain and any L-3 Proprietary Information.

e. The incumbent contractor is released from all liability associated with completion of the carryover task orders.

f. The successor contractor shall provide the incumbent contractor adequate office space, computer access, telephone access, and any other supplies necessary to complete all preparation activities for award fee board presentations to support the final award fee board convened for the active CLS service contracts.

g. Within 10 days of contract award, the successor contractor shall establish a purchase order with the incumbent contractor that will allow the incumbent contractor to charge to, and invoice for, costs incurred following the final performance period and for transition costs. The successor contractor shall be responsible for paying the invoices and preparing cost vouchers for these costs to the government.

Please note: The transition will not include award fee. All award fee task orders are being converted to cost plus fixed fee.

Q26. Amendment #4 in addition to the 125 task orders (existing work) states workload proposal preparation (new work) should be included in the costs. There is an unknown quantity of new work proposals and unknown complexity of these proposals. For purposes of pricing sample Task Order #4, how many new work cost proposals are projected to be required during the transition period and how complex are these expected to be?

A26. The SOFSA contract is in place to address any/all logistics requirements from the SOF community. As such, the prime contractor is expected to have in place the right team to address any/all workload requests stemming from our mission-critical, time-sensitive customers. The SOFSA staff has proactively engaged its customer base and attempted to 'align the start time' of some recurring workload with the start of the transition period, so as to require less work to be novated/transitioned and allow it to be treated as new work under the auspices of the new contract.

However, there is no requirements for any existing or new customer to actually use the SOFSA contract vehicle to satisfy their logistical needs. As such, it would be inappropriate for the SOFSA staff to speculate as to the quantity and complexity of the workload that may materialize during the transition period. Suffice it to say that, on average, the SOFSA contract averages 36 new projects per month.